Arthritis in the Feet and Ankles
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a general term to describe the inflammation of one or multiple joints. There are over 100 types of arthritis, however some of the most common ones are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Post-traumatic Arthritis
Your foot and ankle compromise of 30 different bones and joints, each with specific motions designed to help you to move. Each joint has a lining called synovium, and each bone is typically covered with articular cartilage, a slippery substance that helps the bones to glide smoothly along one another.
Osteoarthritis
- Degeneration of the cartilage (the cushioning in your joints) between two or more bones. This causes “bone-on-bone" grinding, which causes both stiffness in the joint and pain. Most prevalent among people of older age, however may also occur in younger people
Rheumatoid Arthritis
- An auto-immune disease, where the body begins to “attack” itself. There is initial damage to the joint capsule, followed by the bone, tendons and ligaments. The exact cause of this chronic condition is not known, however environmental factors and infections are common triggers of this condition
Post-traumatic Arthritis
- Onset follows an injury such as dislocation or a fracture in or around a joint. Similar to osteoarthritis, the cartilage is worn out leading to bone grinding on bone. An injured joint is more than 7 times likely to develop arthritis, even if treated properly.
Risk factors
- High impact physical activities
- Age
- Obesity
- Abnormal foot structures affecting joint alignment and shape
- Genetics
What does it feel like?
- Pain with motion, usually flaring up most with vigorous activity
- Tenderness with direct palpation on the affected joint
- Joint swelling, increased warmth and redness
- Increased stiffness and pain on the first few steps following rest
How can I determine whether I have this problem?
- Thorough history taking of the problem leading up to the pain is essential
- A physical or biomechanical assessment by your doctor or podiatrist will help to pin point the issue. Tests to assess the range and quality of motion in the joint
- Referral for imaging – X-rays, particularly whilst weight-bearing, will help to determine the presence and the extent of any joint damage
- CT and MRI scans may be required, to determine the exact state of the bone and surrounding soft tissues
- Blood tests are useful in determining particular types of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis
What can I do to ease the pain myself?
1. Ensure your shoes are sufficiently broad at the toes, firmer cushioning in the midsole is essential for outdoor use, and will be highly effective when also worn indoors
2. Medication to reduce inflammation
3. Reduce high impact activities, for example jogging, carrying heavy objects, hard labour
4. Weight loss
5. Rest
What other options of treatment are there?
1. See a podiatrist for a proper assessment
2. Orthotics may help to address biomechanical issues, potentially by controlling the affected joint’s range of motion, thereby managing the cause of the pain
3. Strengthening and stretching exercises
4. Surgery may be considered if all conservative treatment has been exhausted
Remember, we have four convenient locations around adelaide to help. Cowandilla, Adelaide City, Daw Park and Birdwood.
If you would like to see if we can help, simply call us on (08) 8568 5544 or visit us here